Pumpkin cheese balls, great as appetizers

Imagine something soft, hot and with a melting cheesy heart in the middle…these are pumpkin balls with cheese, to die for!

They look so much like potato croquettes or arancini and they are very inviting little nibbles. If you are planning a Halloween party then these would make a good starter or aperitif.

I cannot believe how many different things I made with pumpkin this year. Butternut squash has some similarities with pumpkin but it has a different texture: much more watery than pumpkin which instead has a much drier and compact pulp. I tried making gnocchi with it but no chance, sadly I had to throw everything away.

You can either fry these balls or for a lighter version you can cook them in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil. Both versions are really good.

When I went to the Organic September Blogathon Event and made my lighter version of Tiramisu’  a video was made. Here it is! I was a little nervous but this was my first time..!

• Prep Time : 20 minutes
• Cook Time : 40 minutes
• Yield : 12

Ingredients

• fresh pumpkin – 700 g – slightly less than 3 cups
• grated parmesan cheese (or other cheese you fancy) – 4 tbsp
• breadcrumbs – 4 tbsp
• egg – 1
• salt and pepper
• fresh hard cheese like cheddar – 60 g – 1/3 cup cubed cheddar cheese
• oil for frying

Instructions

Peel the pumpkin, slice it and cook it the oven at 200C – 390F for 30 minutes or until soft.

In a bowl mash the pumpkin using a fork or a potato masher.

Add the egg, the parmesan cheese, the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Cut the hard cheese into small cubes.

Scoop up some of the pumpkin mixture using a spoon and form into balls. Put a piece of cheese in the center and seal well with more pumpkin mixture forming round balls. 

Roll the balls into breadcrumbs and put them in the fridge for 30 minutes so they will bind well.

Fry in hot oil for a few minutes turning them to allow them to cook evenly or line them up on your baking tray with a drizzle of olive and bake for 20 minutes at 180C – 350F.

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